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Norfolk & Region

'Social costs' of school closures worry county

Norfolk council has asked the Ministry of Education to call off the dogs as far as local school closures are concerned.

This week, council passed a resolution asking the McGuinty government to consider the "social costs" of funding policies that force schools in rural areas to close.

"Schools are the glue that hold communities together," Port Rowan Coun. Betty Chanyi, a retired elementary principal, said. "I would not support the closure of any school."

Social costs include the impact closures have on property values, businesses that cater to the school community, the ability of a community to attract families, and the sense of community that arises when parents are able to educate their children where they live.

Council passed the resolution at the request of Steve Talos of Brantford, a teacher at Port Dover Composite School. Talos sits on the accommodation review committee investigating the closure of a public high school in Norfolk County.

The Grand Erie District school board ordered the review because there are 2,200 vacant pupil places at Norfolk's five public high schools. GEDSB staff favour converting Port Dover Composite School to an elementary school and busing the 200 remaining secondary school students to Simcoe.

If the review committee embraces this proposal and GEDSB agrees, Doverwood Public School in Port Dover would be closed and its students transferred to PDCS.

Talos told council ministry funding policies underestimate the value of smaller schools. Talos cited research which suggests the quality of education goes down as the size of a school goes up. Public education is paying a price for this, he said.

"There is burgeoning growth in private schools, and why is that?" Talos asked. "I'm not suggesting that bigger schools in Norfolk don't provide quality education, but there is a question of good, better and best."

Councillors received a fourcolour circular at Tuesday's meeting titled Keep PDCS afloat. The document cites numerous arguments for maintaining PDCS as a high school. Talos had an awkward moment at the podium when Simcoe Coun. Peter Black connected the document to Talos's advocacy.

"I'm a little bit upset about this document," Black said, alluding to a section that outlines a strategy for closing Simcoe Composite School, relocating students there to Holy Trinity Catholic High School on the south side of town, and adopting transportation policies that would force all high school students in the Port Dover catchment area to attend PDCS.

"Let's recognize the successes and attraction of Holy Trinity by designating it as Simcoe's high school," the anonymous document says. "The school boards already partner on transportation and other initiatives. But let's face reality: The high school with the true enrolment problem is SCS. Why not co-locate public and separate students in the Simcoe catchment area into Holy Trinity. Renovate the former SCS into a facility for entrepreneurs or the arts community or an agrifood innovation centre. How about a food and wine culinary institute?"

Black was unhappy that he was being asked to support a group that was suggesting the closure of a high school in his ward.

"There's no way I'm supporting the closure of SCS for PDCS or any other community," Black, a graduate of SCS, said Thursday. "If you want the support of the community, don't pit the community against itself."

Talos invited council to attend the next public meeting of the accommodation review committee Nov. 15 in the gymnasium at PDCS. Council, however, will be unable to make it because a regularly scheduled meeting takes place that night at Governor Simcoe Square. However, as Norfolk council's representative to the review committee, Windham Coun. Jim Oliver will be in attendance.